Never Be The Same
by mickeysoo
Summary: When Fred catches Hermione using her Time Turner in her 3rd year an unlikely friendship is formed. Somewhat canon compliant. EWE but Fred dies. Rated M for future violence, language, and potential sexual scenes.
1. Chapter 1

Disclaimer: I do not, nor have I ever, own Harry Potter or any connected world.

" _I think I'm a little bit caught in the middle, I gotta keep going or they call me a quitter."_

Hermione raced out of the classroom and ran to her favorite hidden corridor. She knew _technically_ she had no need to rush but she didn't see the point in taking her time when she could go faster. She was going over the logistics of her class load when she turned a corner and collided into someone's chest.

"Shit. I'm sorry, I wasn't looking I should've..." Hermione trailed off while kneeling down on the ground to pick up her books. She finally had them all gathered and stacked correctly in her arms when she looked up and saw the lopsided grin of one of the Weasley twins, she took a second to grab his offered hand and get off the ground and evaluate which one he was.

"Sorry... Fred," she said his name confidently. "I'm in a hurry though so I really have to go now."

Fred watched as Hermione hurried away, internally chuckling at how she was making sure she wasn't running as that's against the rules. He watched her for moment before deciding to follow her to see where she was going. _'Granger never looks that frazzled, even during exam week... Let's go see what trouble she's up to.'_ He thought to himself with a smirk.

He followed casually making sure to keep a safe distance, it was more playful than suspicious he had decided. She was his friend, it couldn't be weird. He was thinking of how to give her a small fright when he snuck into the small, hidden corridor and saw Hermione glance around before pulling a long gold chain out from under her blouse.

Fred tried to look at the little bauble on the chain but before he could get a closer look at it she turned the bauble a little and started to disappear.

"HERMIONE-WHAT?" Fred shouted out of shock but Hermione was gone and he was alone in the corridor. "What the bloody hell just happened?" He said to the space Hermione had just been occupying.

* * *

Hermione looked around once the blur of time passed, she could've sworn she heard someone as she started to go back but no one was there when she left... _'I must've been hearing things, I probably need more sleep like Harry's been saying.'_ She thought to herself as she headed off to her next class. She snuck into her class and sat with Ron and Harry picking up an easy conversation until class started.

Once class was let out she and the boys decided to head down to the Great Hall to have lunch.

"Hey Hermione, can you help me understand what Professor Snape was talking about in Potions the other day? I've tried to wrap my head around it before asking for your help but I'm really stuck..." Harry sheepishly asked for help while trying not to seem like he expected her to help. She'd really yelled at Ron the other day for assuming she'd help him with whatever he needed whenever he needed.

Hermione smiled at Harry, secretly a little touched that he had tried before asking her. "Of course Harry, I'll help you while we eat lunch." Ron had kept quiet during the small conversation, still a little afraid from when she had chewed him out. He had apologized once Harry had agreed with Hermione and he'd calmed down but he still felt a little bad.

"Hey 'Mione... any chance I can listen in when you help Harry? I don't really get it either." Rons ears turned a slight pink and Hermione nodded, laughing lightly.

"Yeah, come on now. I'm sure you 'growing boys' are hungry." She mocked the boys excuse for always rushing to meals and laughed with them while they left the classroom together. "Wait, I forgot my quill. I'll catch up!" Harry looked a little worried but knew better than to argue that she needed a chaperone.

Hermione hurried back to the empty classroom to find her quill had rolled under the table she'd been sitting at. She looked around to ensure the classroom was actually empty before crawling under the table to retrieve her favorite quill. "There you are." She said lovingly to her quill as she got out from under the table. She turned to leave the room and saw Fred Weasley sitting on a table cross legged with a mischievous smile on his face.

"Who knew someone could go from a corridor to under a table in a classroom on the other side of the castle in 5 minutes, if you didn't love rules so much my only idea would be underage _illegal_ apparation." Fred said with a sharp tone Hermione wasn't used to hearing in his usually light and mischief riddled voice.

"I... I don't know what you're talking about Fred. I was in class with Harry and Ron. You must've seen another witch in a corridor." Hermione stumbled through her lie. _'There was no way he could've seen me use the Time Turner... I'm careful. Always so careful'_ she thought to herself while starting to chew her bottom lip.

"You may have been in class, but you also just ran into me. I have a strand of your hair still on my robes here. Plus you dropped this." Fred handed her a muggle compact. She grimaced and snatched it from his hand before shoving it deep into a pocket.

"I need to go to lunch, the boys are waiting and they need help with potions." She scrambled to leave the room but Fred grabbed her elbow. She looked at him, she'd never been afraid of either of the twins before but for a moment she was terrified. Fred saw the fear in her eyes and his face softened.

"Look, I just want to know what's going on..." He let go of her elbow and rubbed his face, "You're my kid brothers best friend and I'd like to know what trouble you lot are getting into before the shit hits the fan like last year." Hermione shuffled awkwardly realizing that he _had_ almost lost his sister and brother last year.

"Fine... But not now. After dinner tonight, I'll meet you in the corridor from earlier and I'll explain. However, you cannot tell anyone. Not Harry, not Ron, not Ginny." Hermione had started slowly and calmly and had rapidly increased in her speed and ferocity. Fred looked at her and nodded, agreeing for now but would ask about George later on. They stared at each other in an uneasy agreement for a moment before Hermione turned to hurry to the Great Hall.

"Blimey 'Mione! Took you long enough to find a quill." Ron said through a mouth full of sandwich.

Hermione grimaced, "Ronald. Chew with your mouth closed and don't speak with food in your mouth. Please." She added the please on to soften the harsh way her demand had come out. Ron turned slightly pink but muttered a quick apology and did as she said. She sat across from Ron and next to Harry who greeted her with a kind smile. She grabbed a light lunch and decided to let the boys finish eating before launching into Potions work. She laughed with Harry and Ron, trying to ignore the anxiety building about her confrontation with Fred and what she'd have to tell him in only a few hours time. She finally fell into a comfortable conversation with the boys and missed the stare from a tall, ginger boy.


	2. Chapter 2

Disclaimer: I don't own Harry Potter, or his world

" _It's time to begin isn't it?"_

Fred Weasley stood in the empty classroom staring at doorway Hermione had just ran out of. His mind was racing trying to figure out what this 14 year old girl was up to. ' _They aren't going to kill themselves again right? Why can't the boys know? What on earth could this child be doing that's_ _ **so bad**_ _she won't let her best friends know?'_ Fred wandered out into the hall distracted by his thoughts when he had an arm throw haphazardly around his neck.

"Freddie boy! Where have you been? I'm feeling a bit peckish aren't you?" George said with a twinkle in his eye.

"Oh Georgie boy of course. Although, I think there's something else on your mind." Fred nudged his twin in the ribs while walking animatedly to the Great Hall.

"Well Lee might've woken me up this morning with cold water. And I might have a plan to get him back in front of a certain girl he might fancy." George smiled mischievously while Fred just laughed and agreed to watch the chaos his twin would create. They joked their way to the Great Hall, Fred having temporarily forgotten his worries about the well being about his friends and siblings. That was, until he saw the bushy haired head at the center of his concerns. He stood straighter and stared while his twin continued to walk them to the Gryffindor table. George was completely aware of his brothers change in demeanor and was unsure of what the Golden Trio had done to deserve this side of Fred he rarely saw.

"Hey Fred," George saw quietly enough for only them to hear, "is everything alright? Do we need to prank our dearest little Ronniekins?" Georges eyes twinkling with mischief again. Fred laughed and shook his head coming out of his thoughts.

"Do we ever need an excuse to prank him, dear brother of mine?" They stood up and walked toward the trio with mischief in mind. The twins plopped down on either side of Hermione and Harry, George throwing his arm around Hermione while Fred did the same to Harry. George didn't miss how Hermione tensed uncharacteristically until she realized it was George and said a quiet hello.

"What do you two want?" Ron said warily. "We're trying to study over here." Ron trying his best to put off the same air Hermione managed that usually sent the twins elsewhere to cause mischief.

"Ron? Studying? What, trying to be just like Percy? I'm sure he'd love to know how much you look up to him Ronniekins. I'll write him a letter. Oh! Mum as well. She'll be thrilled to have another Head Boy in the family." George grinned knowing exactly how to get Ron rilled up. Rons ears had already turned red and it had started to spread to his face. Hermione stood abruptly, knocking Georges arm off her shoulders and surprising Harry.

"As exciting as this outburst and subsequent fight is going to be, I should really be off. I have plenty of homework to do and I'm sure the rest of you do to. Harry, if you need me I'll be in the library until dinner." She put her hand on Harry's shoulder while talking to him then grabbed her things and left the Great Hall at a brisk walk. Neither Harry or George missed the look Fred gave her when she left. They both made mental notes to ask their friend about that look.

Hermione walked deliberately out of the Great Hall but slowed down once she got to the staircase. She need to work on Ancient Runes and the Potions essay Snape had assigned but also was struggling with Transfiguration work for later in the year. She knew this year was going to be tougher than her previous two because of her heavy course load but she fiercely believed it was worth it. When she finally found a seculded table in the library, Hermione pulled out her Ancient Runes work and spent a good hour and a half on it before Harry popped his head around a bookcase and found her. He sat down at her table and very patiently waited for her to reach a stopping point in her work.

"Yes Harry?" She said with a slight smile, she appreciated that her friend seemed to understand her need to finish a thought before having a conversation.

"Is there anything going on between you and Fred?" Harry didn't mean to be that blunt but he was just so confused about that look earlier. Hermione looked at Harry with confusion and slight panic.

"No? I mean, he's our friend. Somewhat, he's Ron's brother. What would be going on between us?" Hermione tried to sound confused and level-headed but there was an edge to her voice Harry caught.

"Hermione. You're one of my best friends. You know you can trust me with anything... I know we've had some fights this year, er- over the past few years but I trust you and I hope you trust me." Harry watched as Hermione stared at the table in between them biting her lip. Hermione didn't _want_ to lie to Harry but McGonagall told her she couldn't tell a soul about her Time Turner. She didn't know how to get out of this mess with Fred and didn't know how to get out of it with Harry either. She finally looked up at Harry to see his patient, green eyes looking at her with a slight smile on his face. Hermione sighed and grabbed her wand.

" _Muffliato._ Okay look, this is a secret and you cannot tell a soul about anything I'm about to say. Fred caught me using a Time Turner. McGonnagal gave it to me start of term so I could take all the classes I want but time is very dangerous and its a very dangerous piece of magic. I haven't told Fred yet but I am after dinner tonight. McGonagall told me I couldn't tell a soul and only her and Dumbledore know I have it." She rushed through her words while staring Harry in the eyes to gauge his reaction. Harry looked shocked but not angry at her for keeping it to herself.

"Well okay. That explains a lot." Harry said plainly. "So Fred is just confused then?"

"He seemed angry when he confronted me but I don't know. Probably. So you aren't mad at me?" Hermione looked worried and relieved at them same time. Harry laughed and shook his head reassuring her they were fine. She let out a breath it felt like she was holding forever. They settled into a comfortable silence with Hermione helping Harry when he needed it until it was finally time for dinner. Ron met them outside the library already complaining that he was starving.

* * *

After a very filling lunch and a few pranks pulled, Fred and George left the Great Hall to go relax before their next few classes.

"So Forge, what's up with Granger?" George tried to ask noncommittally while carefully watching his twins face.

"Why would something be up with Granger?" Fred answered sounding like he couldn't care less but his face darkened a little.

"You keep staring at her and zoning out. Plus its gotta be something big for you to lie to me." George pulled Fred into a small corridor and looked at his twin with blatant hurt on his face. Fred immediately felt guilt wash over him and sighed.

"I just saw Hermione doing something that doesn't seem like usual Hermione behavior. I confronted her about it and she's going to tell me, probably that its nothing, after dinner. After last year I'm just worried about what those three get themselves into. I cant bare losing one of us and Harry and Hermione and already basically a part of the family." George and Fred were both quiet remembering the fear and helplessness they felt at the possibility of losing their only sister last year.

"Okay, she also made you promise not to tell anyone what it was didn't she?" George asked after what felt like hours between them.

"Yeah, but she didn't specify you so I'll just ask tonight if I can let you in on the secret that I'm sure is nothing." Fred said and wrapped an arm around George. They headed to the common room planning pranks to pull on Lee, Ron, and unsuspecting first years.

* * *

Dinner went by much too quickly for Hermione and her nerves skyrocketed as she sat and picked at her food. Harry kept sending her sympathetic glances while he and Ron ate and talked about Quidditch. She finally finished her food and politely excused herself before leaving the Great Hall. She and Fred made discreet eye contact when she walked by and it made her stomach knot up. Fred continued talking and joking with Lee and George for about 10 minutes before excusing himself with a prank and headed to meet up with Hermione.

"Okay, just tell him the truth. He's a Weasley, you can trust him. He doesn't have Ron's temper. Just threaten him with a hex if it goes badly." Hermione was pacing around the corridor, she'd tied her hair up in a bun and was muttering a pep talk to herself. Fred had managed to catch the tail end of it and chuckled, startling Hermione. "Oh... hey Fred... So uh, yeah."

"Hermione, I just need to know what's going on. You three always seem to be at the center of the trouble here and last year my little sister almost died in the trouble. I just," Fred sighed and rubbed his face with his hand trying to calm down, "I just want to know so I can be prepared and help if you guys need it. I don't like seeing my family hurt." He was quieter towards the end of his rant and looked at Hermione with honest, open eyes. She sighed and took a step closer to him and pulled the long gold chain out from under her blouse.

"This is a Time Turner. It helps me travel back in time, McGonagall gave it to me beginning of term so I could take a heavy course load. Time is dangerous magic and I was told to be very careful." She explained with a grave look on her face while Fred just stared in quiet awe.

"So wait, you are using time magic. You, Hermione Granger, and McGonagall gave it to you. Blimey! Bloody hell that amazing!" He went over and picked her up in a giant hug. After a second they both realized that Hermione was in the air, in Fred's arms, and it was an odd situation. Fred put her down quickly but gently and took a few steps back. "Er- sorry I was just excited you weren't doing anything illegal or that will result in people getting hurt. Also, its pretty badass of you to be breaking rules, even if its for nerdy reasons." He gave her a sly smile and a wink and she felt her cheeks heat up.

"I was given permission so _technically_ I'm not breaking the rules." She tried to use her best Percy impersonation but ended up sounding more like one of the twins, cracking a smile and laughing.

"Oh, Hermione? I know this is a secret but can I tell George? He noticed something was up and I don't like lying to him..." Hermione thought Fred looked an awful lot like Ron when asking her for something he thought would get him in trouble and she chuckled.

"Yeah, sure. Only him though. I told Harry so I guess it's fair that you can tell George. No Lee. He'd let it slip during a game for sure." Hermione added that last bit as a joke but was still serious about no one else but George. Fred agreed and they parted ways, Fred off to pull the prank he used as an excuse to leave the Great Hall and Hermione to the Common Room to read by the fire before heading to bed.


End file.
